Glazed Baked Ham Topped With Pineapple Slices & Cherries
Nothing beats the sweet aroma of ham baking for the holidays!, a time-honoured tradition for Christmas dinner menus all over the world. While the Rastafarians will heap hot coals of fire on your head, and the Seventh Day Adventists might give you the cold shoulder, there is nothing more delicious than slicing off a shoulder of juicy ham.
For Jamaicans a baked ham is a special dish, and usually only prepared at Christmas and Easter. When I was young, my family would make ham. In those times in Jamaica, ham was so salty it would have to be boiled to remove some of the salt before it could be finished in the oven. Today I don’t have to worry about that, instead it’s as easy as popping the ham in the oven and glazing it as it bakes.
The origin of baked ham on the Jamaican holiday table goes back to colonial times. The British brought their religious customs and the associated foods like the holiday ham at Easter and Christmas. Today, Jamaica is an independent country but its food culture is a melange of flavors brought to Jamaica from around the world.
That’s why in addition to baked ham, you’ll find curry goat, oxtail stew and curry chicken on our holiday… along with lots of complementary dishes to satisfy any self-respecting Jamaican food lover.
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 2 to 3 hours
INGREDIENTS
Ham leg
Guava Jam
2 tbls. crushed Cloves
4 tbls. Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Nutmeg
1 Cup Water
1/2 Cup Cherry Juice
Pinch Salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F
On a sheet pan, remove all the outer skin, 50 % of fat and place Ham on the trimmings
In a bowl whisk Guava Jam, clove, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, water and cherry juice
Place Ham in oven and remove every 30 minutes to apply glaze with a pastry brush
The perfect CPJ hickory smoked Guava Glazed Ham will be ready in three (3) hours.
Garnish with canned pineapples, cherries, cloves and fresh parsley.
Can be served hot or at room temperature
Bon Apetit & Happy Holidays From The Caribbean Cooking Team.